Customer Reviews

Voices from the Storm: The People of New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath (Voice of Witness)

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Another terrific installment in the stellar Voice of Witness series, Voices from the Storm tells the inside story on Hurricane Katrina from those who lived it at ground level. Those of us who experienced Katrina through television and radio must surely recall the frustrated rants of Mayor Ray Nagin or the tragic incompetence of FEMA, foreboding reports of levee breaks and the tales of floating bodies. But even accompanied by real-time video of the sunken city by helicopter, no distant news account could have captured the five senses of Katrina as the gripping, first-person accounts of survival told in Voices from the Storm do.

Masterfully edited, Voices from the Storm assures us that really, things were much worse than we thought. Experience the Superdome, where over 50,000 desperate people lived five days in darkened chaos, huddled in 90+ degree heat without adequate food, water, or sanitation facilities, and no medical care to speak of. Smell the greasy, putrid water as it rises higher and higher, forcing families to attics, balconies, and rooftops. Sense the dread and anxiety as New Orleans descends into a law-free zone. Feel the insect bites and the rats brush against your scalp as you sleep your third consecutive night on the surface of I-10. Wrestle with rage as you read of redevelopment plans that recolor the demographic of a once-great city. By the time your through, you'll appreciate the hurricane but understand the crime.

As an American, you think you are safer than other people in 'less developed' countries when disaster strikes. We think our governing agencies will be there to help us. Well after reading this book and especially after reading "Zeitoun", both about Katrina----you will never think that again. I will now make sure that I am prepared to care for myself & family as much as possible in an emergency because our government can't be trusted to do so. And, above all, it's a reminder of just how dangerous it is to be poor in this country. The way people were treated in New Orleans after the storm is nothing short of sickening. This book made me very, very angry and very, very sad. It should be required reading for every American.

I found this book very interesting, if more than a little discombobulating with the shift from individual to individual mandated by the chronological approach. What troubled me the most about this book was the selection of narrators. Were they really representative of the population of New Orleans? Or were they chosen because of the dramatic nature of their stories?

This was a masterful book, heart-rending and poignant, and an emotional glimpse into the lives of people devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the government's response. Real stories from real people.

This is a heart-breaking book of interviews with Katrina survivors. And while heart-breaking, it is also eye-opening and should be read to understand how short-sighted the preparations were for the inevitable flooding of New Orleans.

Every person in local, state and federal government who is responsible for disaster relief should have to read this book as a cautionary tale of what can happen when people disregard the warnings that scientists and others try to get people to pay attention to.

-- Phyllis Zimbler Miller, [...]